Day: August 15, 2013

Please welcome Cathryn Parry to the virtual offices this morning! She’s here to chat about Out of His League, her latest release, which is published under Harlequin’s Superromance imprint. After the interview, enter for a chance to win one of her books!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Cathryn Parry] I love to write romance! (Best job in the world).

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Out of His League?

[Cathryn Parry] Out of His League is a love story inspired by my longtime enjoyment of baseball. The story opens in October, as the Boston Captains have failed to make the playoffs. Pitcher Jon Farell is dealing with a health scare that brings him to Elizabeth LaValley’s hospital.

From the back cover blurb:

Dr. Elizabeth LaValley’s life works just fine, thank you very much. She’s a successful anesthesiologist, and she’s put the chaos of her youth and family behind her. When hottie pitcher Jon Farell shows up in her hospital, she’s the only one who doesn’t fawn over him. Sure, she feels the heat between them, but being alone is safe and predictable. She didn’t get where she is by taking risks.

Jon can’t get the beautiful doctor out of his head. His talents on the field have always been enough for any woman. But if he’s going to win Elizabeth’s heart, he’ll have to offer her much more than a wicked curveball…

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Cathryn Parry] My husband came up with the basic concept during a brainstorming session. (No, this is not usual for us–I usually come up with my ideas alone!) I loved his plot premise, though, because I’ve wanted to write a pitcher-hero–I’ve always had crushes on the pitchers. Also, two of my brothers pitched in high school and college (one a right-hander, the other a left-hander), so writing about the sport seemed natural to me.

Elizabeth appeared after it was apparent that Jon needed a strong, career-focused woman who had overcome great odds and a difficult childhood, as he had. Elizabeth thinks she’s destined to live alone without love in her life, but her involvement with Jon convinces her otherwise.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Elizabeth?

[Cathryn Parry] Prickly, protective, dedicated.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Jon had a theme song, what would it be?

[Cathryn Parry] "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For"–he’s a U2 fan.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Elizabeth is never without.

[Cathryn Parry] Her cell phone. She’s always in touch with her job.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Jon’s bathroom?

[Cathryn Parry] Rogaine, Viagra, or men’s cologne. 🙂

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Elizabeth’s greatest regret?

[Cathryn Parry] She doesn’t connect well with other people. (That will change, however….)

3) Inspiration and enthusiasm in my heart. If it’s not there to start with, I get it there, fast!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Cathryn Parry] Nonfiction: Dr. Wayne Dyer’s latest.

Fiction: I’ve been enjoying Philippa Gregory’s "Cousins’ War" historical fiction series, and am getting set to read her July release.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Cathryn Parry] The Nancy Drew series–my absolute favorite when I was young! Before that, I loved picture books, especially fairy tales, folk stories, and Richard Scarry’s works (Busy, Busy World was a favorite).

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Cathryn Parry] I learned to figure skate as an adult and quickly became addicted. Also, I travel whenever possible.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Cathryn Parry] Via email at Cathryn@CathrynParry.com. The most up-to-date place regarding my upcoming books is my website: www.CathrynParry.com. I also have a Facebook page and Twitter account that I check periodically, for those readers who enjoy social media.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

[Cathryn Parry] Thank you, Julie! I hope you’re having a great summer!

Purchase Link

About the book

Catch her if he can… Dr. Elizabeth LaValley’s life works just fine, thank you very much. She’s a successful anesthesiologist, and she’s put the chaos of her youth and family behind her. When hottie pitcher Jon Farell shows up in her hospital, she’s the only one who doesn’t fawn over him. Sure she feels the heat between them, but being alone is safe and predictable. She didn’t get where she is by taking risks.

Jon can’t get the beautiful doctor out of his head. His talents on the field have always been enough for any woman. But if he’s going to win Elizabeth’s heart, he’ll have to offer her much more than a wicked curveball…

Harlequin and Cosmo are teaming up to introduce Cosmo Red Hot Reads, an eBook only imprint. Here’s a press release for the line, and information about the first few titles. I’m interested in reading Sylvia Day’s Afterburn and Aftershock. Day’s titles will be offered for sale in print and digital. You can learn more about Cosmo Red Hot Reads here – http://www.harlequin.com/store.html?cid=3542#top

Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin is kicking-off with two books by #1 New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Sylvia Day. The first title, Afterburn, will be published on August 15, 2013. The second title, Aftershock, will be released on November 15, 2013. Both titles will be connected editorially and feature characters newly created for the Cosmo–Harlequin series. (Afterburn and Aftershock will also be released as a two-in-one trade paperback in November 2013.) The imprint will release an average of two books per month, with the exception of August and November 2013. Cosmopolitan is the world’s largest women’s magazine and the biggest-selling monthly magazine on U.S. newsstands, making it a perfect match for this partnership with Harlequin.

Here’s info on the first few releases. What do you think of the new line? Will you be reading these?

Afterburn by Sylvia Day kicks things off this month

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day, America’s premier author of provocative fiction, delivers the debut novel from Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Harlequin. The realization that Jax still affected me so strongly was a jagged pill to swallow. He’d only been part of my life for five short weeks two years ago. But now he was back. Walking into a deal I’d worked hard to close. And God, he was magnificent. His eyes were a brown so dark they were nearly black. Thickly lashed, they were relentless in their intensity. Had I really thought they were soft and warm? There was nothing soft about Jackson Rutledge. He was a hard and jaded man, cut from a ruthless cloth. In that moment I understood how badly I wanted to unravel the mystery of Jax. Bad enough that I didn’t mind how much it was going to cost me..

September:

Cake by Lauren Dane

Cake is one of the launch novellas in the new Red Hot Reads from Cosmo and Harlequin! Cake is a contemporary romance between Wren, an artist who loves manga and animation and Gregori, a pierced, inked, mohawked mixed media artist …

There’s just one thing missing from Gia Renyard’s life: sexual adventure. And the one man she’d like to have it with is her hot coworker Luke Monroe. If only company rules didn’t prohibit her from asking him out… So Gia comes up with a plan: make herself over into a fantasy seductress, follow Luke to a convention in Sin City and have her way with him for one erotic weekend. The man will never even know who did him.

Everything is going according to plan—until Gia discovers that Luke is perfect for her outside the bedroom, too. And suddenly she’s no longer content to let what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas…

October:

Everything You Need to Know by HeleyKay Dimon

Welcome to Need to Know—Because a Woman Can’t Be Too Informed

Dating in D.C. is like navigating an apocalyptic wasteland populated by men in expensive suits with zero mating potential. Need to Know provides all the information a savvy single woman like you needs to avoid dating disasters.

By night, Jordan McAdam is the proprietor of a popular website that rates D.C.’s hottest bachelors—everything from how quick they email you back to their skills in the sack. She’s been burned once too often to accept any man at face value. By day, her job as an office temp puts her in the perfect position to do a little fact-checking on her rich and powerful subjects. When her latest assignment brings her face-to-face with the sexy but mysterious Forest Redder, Jordan decides to do a little "hands on" research of her own. To Jordan, he seems like the perfect man—but she knows there is no such thing. Moreover, there’s a big problem: Forest knows Jordan’s the woman behind the scandalous site—and Jordan knows he knows. Will he expose her secret—or find his own posted on Need to Know?

Naked Susi by Jina Bacarr

A Delicious Mistake

One day I’m getting canned from my job as a computer programmer for having wild copy-room sex with a guy I thought was the new game designer. The next, I’m crashing my ex-boss’s business lunch in a creative attempt to get my job back and men are eating sushi off my naked body!

That’s when I realize a) My ex-boss is a hiding corporate secrets b) Hot copy-room guy is an undercover FBI agent c) I would make a kick-ass spy!

Then Special Agent Hottie brings out his cuffs, and things get really interesting…

November brings Aftershock by Sylvia Day

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day comes the gripping romantic conclusion to the miniseries that launched Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Harlequin. It started with Afterburn (available August 15, 2013) and ends with an Aftershock.

Which one sounds most appealing? I admit that the length (25,000-30,000) is very appealing. There are so many times that I want a shorter read, and these look like they will fit the bill nicely when I do want a quicker book to sit down with. At $3.99, though, I’m not so certain that I like the pricing…